Soccer
Meet the Non-League graduate set to face PSG in the Champions League
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While a handful of players have risen from the National League to the Champions League, far fewer have made the journey from Step 5 of the English football pyramid to European football's grandest stage.
Jamie Vardy, Antoine Semenyo and Callum Wilson are three of the most reputable names to have forged a career in the Non-League before facing the world's best.
However, as Slovakian outfit Slovan Bratislava prepare to face reigning champions and two-time winners PSG, one of their stars boasts a truly remarkable story.
Manasse Kianga: Made in Rossington
Manasse Kianga will walk out at the Parc des Princes tonight in front of tens of thousands of spectators against World Cup winners and the holder of the Ballon d'Or.
Nine years ago, Kianga moved to England from South Africa with his family at age 15 and joined Rossington Main, located in New Rossington, a former mining village in Doncaster, two years later.
The centre-forward made his debut for the Northern Counties East Football League (NCEL) side in the 2019/20 season, scoring five goals in 13 appearances.
Kianga spent five years with Rosso and became a prolific goalscorer in his final two campaigns, bagging 30 goals in 66 NCEL Premier Division games.
After notching more than 100 appearances for the club, the forward suffered difficulties obtaining a permanent work permit, forcing a move back to South Africa.
From South Africa to the Parc des Princes
Determined for the blow not to hold him back, Kianga secured a move to Slovak third-tier outfit Lokomotiva Košice the following year and impressed so much during 11 appearances that top-tier side Slovan Bratislava snapped him up.
Last season, the 24-year-old was handed his first-team debut by his manager, none other than Manchester City legend Yaya Toure, and it is safe to say he has not looked back.
Kianga bagged three goals in nine appearances at the back end of last season in the Niké liga, with his brace and assists in Slovan's penultimate league match against Stara Lubovna his starring moment.
The centre-forward has continued in the same vein of form this campaign, with two goals and two assists across his three appearances, but now he will go toe-to-toe with the Kings of Europe.
While he has not featured in Slovan's last three outings, any involvement in the French capital would mark one of the most remarkable rises in football history.
With Roma, Real Betis and Inter Milan among the rest of the club's Champions League opponents, Kianga's journey is not just unlikely, but it is something for all Non-league players to aspire to.
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